As a kid during summer break, I walked around barefoot any chance I got. My mother always said the soles of my feet would turn as hard as leather if I did, and the challenge was irresistible. By the time I had to tie my shoes again for the new school year, I could run barefoot on dirt roads without barely feeling a thing! It made me feel pretty cool.

Growing up, my barefoot obsession quickly waned. Then last week, as I strolled down our street to pick up our mail, I remembered my mom’s words and took off my flip flops. I stepped on a few pebbles that felt as sharp as knives, but the simple act of walking down the road with no shoes made me feel content in a way I hadn’t felt in months.

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Sometimes, life asks you to let go of what you’re holding on to the tightest. Whether it’s a job, a relationship or a place, you’re forced to let go. Interviewing former Extra! host Dayna Devon this month was a reminder of that lesson. My time with her — both during our photo shoot and interview — was one of the most surprising, fun and emotional moments I’ve experienced in a long time. I felt we had so much in common, and I’ve thought about our conversations many times since. It reminded me how important it is to keep our hearts open to new experiences. No matter who we are, change is inevitable, and when we embrace change instead of fighting it, something new and beautiful will often emerge. Don’t miss her feature!

I also interviewed Audrina Patridge, who found fame on the reality show The Hills and is currently the host of NBC’s 1st Look. Audrina embodies that rare combination of sweetness, generosity and business smarts that often accompany very successful people. Kudos to her for remaining true to her heart after navigating the crazy world of paparazzi and fame at such a young age. The revealing interview with Audrina — photographed exclusively for Sweden With Love by Elizabeth Messina— will premiere on February 5.

At the beginning of this summer, I bought a pair of “vegan” sandals at H&M. Excited about my find, I decided to share an iPhone photo with fellow vegan shoe addict Kathy Freston. But instead of a fun picture, I found myself staring at a photo of an old woman’s feet in a pair of cute sandals! No matter how many retakes and Instagram filters I tried, the spider web of veins on top of my feet stubbornly stayed put. I was so shocked I ended up deleting the photos.

I’m no stranger to sunspots on my cheeks or lines around my eyes; the magnifying mirror in the bathroom is great for that. I usually shrug them off as par for the course, but the sandal photo really brought it home to me. Yes, I’m getting older. And it’s not merely about the physical signs. I worry that I’m quickly running out of time to make a mark, or to reinvent myself, or to pursue my dreams. In ten years, will anyone care what I do or what I have to contribute? Will I be irrelevant? Will I be invisible?

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Remember when we were little and we had so many questions we felt we were going to explode? “Why do planes fly? Why is the sky blue? What are clouds? Where does the rain come from?” Back then, we thought our parents or teachers or grandparents had it all figured out, and the answer was just one grown-up away.

But now that we’re adults, do we have it all figured out? I suspect your answer, like mine, is a resounding no! The number of questions are probably still the same, but the answers are harder to come by. “What’s the purpose of my life? Am I doing it right? Why am I here? Is this really what I want to do? What’s the point of everything I’m working towards? Should I make a change? What am I afraid of?” For most of us, the right answer is often the one found in our hearts. With all the distractions available to us at the touch of a button — or a screen — the trick is to learn how to listen.

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Do you ever wish you could live in two places at once? I do, all the time. I have family and friends in one end of the world, and friends that are like family in another end of the world. Isn’t that the way it is for many of us? When we’re young, we tend to live more in the moment; we don’t worry so much about the long-term consequences of our actions. We travel, we move away from our parents, we ditch our childhood town for the big city and we create our own families. Suddenly we look up and realize each decision we made — even the small ones — lead us here. Sometimes we feel happy exactly where we are, but sometimes we’re torn.

This month, I’m so excited to feature Baron Baptiste, the principal founder of the power yoga movement and a man who has influenced millions of people across the globe. Baron is not one who thinks he’s got it all together, which is partially what makes him so wonderful! He’s not shy to share his own views on topics most of us face: being a parent (he has three sons), disagreements with his mom (!), the influence of technology and the difficulty of staying in the moment to mention a few. Baron is an eternal student of life, and his honesty is both surprising and uplifting. It made me realize that, despite who we are, we all struggle with many of the same issues.

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Seven years ago, Kelly Rutherford and I gave birth to our sons within months of each other and — through an introduction by actress Caroline Lagerfelt — became friends. Like myself, Kelly had longed to be a mother and was relishing her newfound role. We both got pregnant again around the same time, and with two small kids our lives turned into babies and play dates. Kelly rarely did anything without her children. Like many moms, her kids were the most important part of her life.

While pregnant with her daughter, Kelly filed for divorce from her German-born husband. What happened next has gained wide media attention and outcries from activists and legal experts. During the process, her husband’s U.S. visa was revoked and he had to relocate to Monaco, France. In a shocking court ruling, the children, age 5 and 2 1/2 at the time, were ordered to leave their primary caretaker (their mom) and move to France. The reason? Since their father had been barred from the U.S., their mother was the one who had to travel to see their kids. Kelly offered to travel with her children during holidays and school breaks so they could stay with their father until he could regain entry into the U.S. But the kids — who had lived with their mother since birth and are U.S. citizens — were removed from their schools, their friends and their home and effectively deported from their country.

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During a trip to IKEA a few weeks ago, a strange thing happened. No, I didn’t discover that the Billy bookcase now comes in hot pink or that my children have the ability to walk patiently through an entire store without touching a single thing. What happened was that I didn’t want to buy anything. I didn’t see one item I felt any desire for. I know it’s hard to believe, but I didn’t even feel the tiniest flicker of want for the economy pack of tea lights. I walked those aisles — while my children ran around like wild boars — and didn’t come home with a single thing. Not even a meatball.

Now, you might think that’s not a big deal. But it is for me, because it’s a sensation that has slowly been permeating my life for the past year. By now, I feel it almost every time I enter a store: I want to buy nothing. It’s completely crazy! That’s why I’m taking a new turn with Sweden With Love‘s cover story this month. Instead of a celebrity interview, I’ll explore what happens when we pierce the illusion that having more — a beautiful house, a cool car, designer clothes, a gorgeous spouse, vacations at five-star exotic resorts — will make us happier.

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Welcome to the brand new Sweden With Love! We’re finally back after a two month break with a new unique concept and design, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

We all live in a sea of media noise, and what’s authentic and true is often drowned out. My wish is for Sweden With Love to feel as if you’re reading a favorite monthly magazine, filled with original content that is both meaningful and fun. A place where you don’t have to be rushed, or read anything that makes you feel bummed out. Where the noise stops, and you’re encouraged to hear your own voice. And when you close that browser or move on to the next thing, you feel energized and uplifted.

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Most of us experience life as a roller coaster ride. That might sound odd, but think how often we focus our attention on the extreme highs and the extreme lows of our lives. “Going up” moments like falling in love, getting a promotion, giving birth, getting married, going on vacation or completing a marathon get all the glory. Even our pains and sorrows — “going down” moments like broken hearts, lost opportunities, terrible arguments — are given their fare share of head space.

But what about when the ride is level and nothing is happening? Simple moments, like a bird chirping, a child’s laughter or a spider spinning a web outside our window. What about the beat of our own heart and the sound of our breath? Even though they seem insignificant, they’re not just “nothingness” that happen in between our up and downs. They’re the moments that — if we pay attention — can truly make our hearts soar.

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Last month, my three children and I climbed on top of my friend Elizabeth Messina’s vintage Mercedes-Benz in an attempt to get a pretty portrait shot. It didn’t quite turn out the way we had hoped. My daughter started screaming the moment she got up on the hood. My oldest son got upset when his attempts to cheer her up didn’t work. My middle boy kept hiding behind my back. None of the children looked into the camera at the same time. The series of photographs that ensued are a pretty accurate reflection of what life — with or without children — is like a lot of the time: chaotic, frustrating, sometimes funny and always unpredictable. And never as picture perfect as we had hoped.

But that’s probably a good thing. We need life to be a little crazy in order to create beautiful music, dance, literature, paintings or however you express yourself. Picture perfect doesn’t make for very interesting art or a very interesting life. Someone who knows this is actress and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Rebecca Pidgeon. Married for 22 years to writer and director David Mamet, Rebecca is a multi-faceted woman with a wicked vocabulary — spiced up with the occasional curse word — and a sharp sense of humor. With a new album due out October 8, Rebecca was photographed exclusively for Sweden With Love at her and her family’s breathtaking home in Santa Monica by the award-winning Elizabeth Messina. Come back on Monday for the lush photographs and my revealing interview with Rebecca about life, music, art, motherhood and her secrets to a lasting love.